We have time
The incessant knocking at her door is what wakes Victoria. She sits up slowly, rubbing at her eyes, her knee bumping against her computer, Kina Grannis crooning at her from her iPod. With a soft sigh, she reaches out and snatches her alarm clock. 1:30 glares at her in bright green numbers. She lays back down and glares at the door as the knocking continues. With a groan, she slips from her bed and goes slowly down the stairs to the first floor of the studio apartment. She opens the front door with a glare and dodges Toby’s fist as it moves to collide with the door once more.
“October Riddle it is 1:30 in the morning, what are you doing.” She demands, crossing her arms. The look on Toby’s face makes her glare soften a bit. “Toby, what’s up?”
“You haven’t seen the news.” Toby says quietly. Vic cocks her head to one side.
“’Tober, it’s 1:30 in the morning. I was sleeping, of course I haven’t seen the news.” She says, stepping aside as Toby pushes past her. “Why, what’s going on?” Vic moves to follow her as Toby grabs the remote silently and turns the television on, flicking to a local news station.
Vic stares. She doesn’t believe the words that flash across the screen at first. They’re not true. There’s no way they can be true. She glances at Toby, and the look on her friend’s face assures the words.
“That’s… That’s just one station though.” She says shakily, snatching the remote from Toby. She flicks to another station, only to see the same words flashing there. Another channel has two anchors talking about it. Another has two anchors talking about it in French.
She stares at Toby for a moment before dropping the remote and collapsing between the couch and the coffee table, clutching at the two pieces of furniture for support. She feels like she can’t breathe, and the breaths that she does take are short, and shallow as sobs work their way to her mouth. This can’t be happening. It can’t. Toby’s hands are comforting as they pull her gently to the couch. Loud, horrible sobs wrack her body as Toby wraps her arms around her. Vic leans against her, wrapping her arms around Toby’s waist and burying her face in Toby’s neck as she sobs.
THIS JUST IN: CAPTAIN AMERICA KILLED IN FREAK EXPLOSION
Vic doesn’t want to get out of bed. She never wants to do anything again. Toby hasn’t left her side since the accident. Toby, being the doting best friend that she is, has stayed for the past week, making sure Vic eats and drinks and stays healthy. The day Vic hears the shriek, it’s raining. Well, pouring, more like. It’s pouring, and the rain is pounding against the windows, and Vic is watching Pride and Prejudice, curled up in a huddle of blankets at the head of her bed. Toby’s down in the kitchen, making chicken soup, when a knock comes at the door.
With a sigh and a glance towards the stairs, Toby goes to answer the door and lets out a scream. Vic jumps out of her bed in an instant. If there’s anything that will ever get her moving, it’s the sound of her friend screaming. She thunders down the stairs, ready to kick some ass, and freezes at the bottom.
Standing in the doorway, behind a huge bouquet of roses, is…
“Steve?” The whisper that escapes her lips is broken and shaky. The supersoldier smiles softly and holds out the roses a little. “But you’re…”
“Supposed to be dead. I know.” He says quietly.
“What the hell happened?” She can’t stop the tears that spill from her eyes.
“It’s a long story.” He begins. Before he can finish, she’s sprinting across the apartment and launching into his arms. The roses go flying as Steve wraps his arms securely around Vic’s waist and he lifts her off the floor. Wanting, needing to get as close to him as possible, Vic wraps herself around him like a koala, burying her face in his neck with a sob. “But we have time…”
